<p >Leonidas Polk is oneof the most fascinating figures of the Civil War. Consecrated as a bishop ofthe Episcopal Church and commissioned as a general into the Confederate army,Polk’s life in both spheres blended into a unique historical composite. Polkwas a man with deep religious convictions but equally committed to theConfederate cause. He baptized soldiers on the eve of bloody battles,administered last rites and even presided over officers’ weddings, all whileleading his soldiers into battle. Historian Cheryl White examines the life ofthis soldier-saint and the legacy of a man who unquestionably brought the firstviable and lively Protestant presence to Louisiana and yet represents thepolitics of one of the darkest periods in American history.</p>